Stuffing.  It’s the quintessential holiday side dish. The question is, short of making a casserole or heaping the remainder onto a sandwich, what do you do with all that leftover dressing after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner?

I may just have the answer for you, and it’s simpler than you think.

Holiday leftover meals should be simple.  After slaving away on the main meal, the last thing you want is some complicated preparation for all that is left behind after the main meal.  This couldn’t be easier.  It takes just a few minutes, tastes amazing and is a great way to use up some leftover stuffing, turkey or ham and any leftover gray you might have.

And it’s pretty elegant to boot.  That’s something in itself.

In the time it takes you to finish reading this post, you can whip up something pretty amazing from your Holiday leftovers. If you have guests hanging around the house, this is the perfect brunch idea, as it has all the flavors of the holiday, but dresses them up just enough to be fresh.

My family loved this recipe, I hope yours will as well.

Yield: 6 croquettes

Leftover Stuffing (Dressing) Croquettes Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• Leftover Turkey Dressing (about 3 cups)
• Approximately 1 cup chicken stock, turkey stock or water (If needed).
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups greens (collard, mustard, turnip, kale, whatever you have around.), chopped.
• 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups leftover turkey gravy
• Olive oil and butter, for cooking.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pour stock over leftover dressing until it is wet enough to form into patties (Depending on your dressing, stock may not be necessary at all, but I needed about 1/2 cup for mine.) Press stuffing into balls approximately the size of your palm, arrange on a cookie sheet. Cover with damp paper towels and set aside.
3. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add greens and boil for approximately 10 minutes. Drain well.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until translucent. Add greens and cook, stirring frequently until greens are wilted and fragrant. Add ham and toss to heat through.
5. Reheat leftover turkey gravy.
6. Remove paper towels from stuffing patties and discard. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp on the outside. (About 10 minutes.)
7. Place dressing on a plate. Top with ham and greens. Pour gravy over the top. Serve with leftover ham or turkey.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 856mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g

Nothing.  This was a serious hit with all but the middle kiddo, who dislikes dressing, so I made his croquette out of mashed potatoes instead. (More on this later!)